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NFL teams will be fined if their players continue to kneel during the national anthem next season, it was announced on Wednesday.

The league's commissioner Roger Goodell revealed that a new policy would lead to teams being fined should their players refuse to stand when the anthem is performed. The law changes were agreed by the 32 NFL team owners at their annual Spring League Meeting.

"The policy adopted today was approved in concert with the NFL's ongoing commitment to local communities and our country -- one that is extraordinary in its scope, resources, and alignment with our players," Goodell said in a statement.

"We are dedicated to continuing our collaboration with players to advance the goals of justice and fairness in all corners of our society.

"It was unfortunate that on-field protests created a false perception among many that thousands of NFL players were unpatriotic. This is not and was never the case."

In additional changes NFL players will no longer be required to take to the field for the anthem, with personnel permitted to remain in the locker room or elsewhere off the field until after the anthem has been performed.

The NFL Players Association responded to the news in a statement claiming they had not been consulted about the new policy.

The NFL has come under pressure from President Donald Trump along with a number of voices in the United States over the anthem protests, which first began in 2016 when then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeled during the anthem to highlight issues of social inequality.

A speech by Trump in September 2017 during a rally in Alabama then led to a rise in protests from NFL personnel.“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!’," Trump said at the time.

The President's comments sparked mass protests at NFL games throughout the rest of the season, including the following weekend at Wembley Stadium when the Jacksonville Jaguars faced the Baltimore Ravens. Shahid Kahn, the Jaguars owner, linked arms with his players on the sidelines during the anthem.